150 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



At our place, we had a wonderful crop of grapes and all ripened 

 fully. I sent to the World's Fair, care of our secretary, about ten 

 varieties, including- Moore's Early, Concord, Lindley, Janesville, 

 Golden Pocklington, Niagara, Worden, Brighton, Malaga and one 

 I had no name for. As they were cut fresh from the vines, the end of 

 the stem dipped in wax, packed according to orders and sent imme- 

 diatel}^ I am sure they carried all right. 



All through this part of the country grapes did equally well 



The pltini crop was above the average. 



The seedling apple trees sent out several years ago by Peter Gideon 

 have lived and quite a nuinber came into bearing in the last two 

 years, some of the fruit being quite good. Specimens from these 

 were also sent to the Fair. As for old American apple trees, they 

 were a failure, blight in most instances having got the better of them, 

 although the Russians that were planted in previous years are most 

 of them doing well; a few came into bearing last spring. So far the 

 blight has not interfered with them. Quite a number of the people 

 around here sent to Professor Budd of Iowa last spring for Russian 

 trees, and we still, live in hopes of finding the ideal apple for the 

 Northwest. 



Like many another I wandered through the vast alcoves and ave- 

 nues of Horticultural Hall at the World's Fair, almost bewildered at 

 the golden profusion of fruit from California and the mammoth 

 fruits from other states; in the midst of which our own Minnesota 

 exhibit shone modest and steadfast. The wonderful varieties and 

 size of cactus, the miniature gardens of Japan, the beautiful silver 

 hortictiltural hall from Mexico, and over and above all the vast and 

 beautiful building in which all were stored! More wonderful and 

 artistic than the fairy palaces we dreamed of in our childhood's days! 

 Verily, a thing of beauty is a joy foreyer, 



GENERAL FRUITS. 

 SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 



JOHN HUNTER, ANOKA. 



I should be pleased to send an encouraging report from this part 

 of our state, but by reason of ^n excessive drought during the entire 

 summer, I cannot make a very favorable one. Strawberries were al- 

 most a failure, though some were raised on low ground; the most of 

 these were the Crescent. In inany cases the entire plant was killed 

 by the heat, which was a great disappointment to the farmers of An- 

 oka county, as the sandy soil is well adapted to all kinds of small 

 fruit and, especially, strawberries. There is a tendency to grow 

 more fruit in this section. 



The principal varieties of raspberries grown are the Turner and 

 the Cuthbert. While the acreage is not as large as for strawberries, 

 there is much interest taken in their cvilture by farmers and garden- 

 ers. But the same cause of the failure of the strawberry crop oper- 

 ated against the raspberry and there was only a fourth of a crop. 

 The crop of currants was verj^ fair. The common red currant was 

 exceptionally fine. Fay's Prolific was a good bearer, but a verj' poor 



